Al-Kāshī’s best-known work is the Miftāḥ al-ḥisāb (“Key of Arithmetic”), completed in 1427 and also dedicated to Ulūgh Beg. This encyclopedic work instructs in the solution of a wide range of problems from astronomy, surveying, and finance through the use of arithmetic—defined by al-Kāshī as “the science consisting of basic…

Mifune Toshirō, leading actor in the post-World War II Japanese cinema, known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters, especially in films directed by Kurosawa Akira. During World War II, Mifune served in the Japanese armed forces, studying aerial photographs.

MiG,, any member of a family of Soviet military fighter aircraft produced by a design bureau founded in 1939 by Artem Mikoyan (M) and Mikhail Gurevich (G). (The i in MiG is the Russian word meaning “and.”) The early MiG aircraft were propeller-driven fighters produced in moderate numbers during

MiG, Russian aerospace design bureau that is the country’s major producer of jet fighter aircraft. It developed the family of technologically advanced MiG aircraft, including the Soviet Union’s first jet fighter. The MiG design bureau is part of the state-owned multifirm aerospace complex VPK MAPO

…which eventually bore the name MiG-1 (MiG being a formation of the first letters of Mikoyan and Gurevich plus i, the Russian word for and). An improved version, the MiG-3, soon followed. In 1942 the MiG department was reorganized as an independent design bureau with an aircraft plant in Moscow…

MiG-15, single-seat, single-engine Soviet jet fighter, built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau and first flown in 1947. It was used extensively in combat during the Korean War (1950–53). The MiG-15 was the first “all-new” Soviet jet aircraft, one whose design did not simply add a jet engine

An improved version, the MiG-17, first flown in 1950, shared its maneuverability and was used as a defensive interceptor by North Vietnam in the Vietnam War during the 1960s and as a fighter-bomber by Egypt and Syria in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. Twin engines made the MiG-19, first…

Twin engines made the MiG-19, first flown in 1953, the first supersonic fighter of European manufacture, but it was surpassed in 1955 by the MiG-21, a lightweight, single-engine interceptor capable of flying at twice the speed of sound. The basic version, which entered service in 1958, was a simple,…

…Soviet supersonic fighter), and the MiG-21 (capable of about twice the speed of sound). The design bureau produced more than 9,000 MiG-21s in as many as 32 versions for the air forces of the Soviet Union and more than 40 other countries and licensed a version for production in China.…

The MiG-23, which entered active service in 1972, featured a variable-sweep wing intended to improve performance at various speeds and altitudes. It also introduced electronic sensor and warning systems of increasing sophistication that allowed successive MiG fighters to find and attack aircraft at greater ranges and…

…stores, was known as the MiG-27. In response to U.S. experiments with high-altitude, supersonic bombers, the MiG-25 was designed about 1960. As introduced in 1970, this twin-engine interceptor, the fastest combat aircraft ever in active service, registered speeds of Mach 2.7 and 2.8, with an operational ceiling above 24,400 m…

…fighters were similarly outclassed: the MiG-3, from the MiG design bureau of Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich, was fast, but it had marginal handling characteristics, and the performance of Semyon Lavochkin’s LaGG-3 was ruined by a disastrously heavy airframe.

The MiG-31, a two-seat interceptor introduced in 1983, is based on the MiG-25 but is modified for less speed and better performance at lower altitudes. The MiG-29, first operational in 1985, is a single-seat, twin-engine air-to-air fighter that can also be used for ground attack.

The MiG-9, which first flew in 1946, did little more than apply jet propulsion to a piston-engine airframe; but the MiG-15, built with swept-back wings derived from German wartime research and powered by a copy of a Rolls-Royce engine, became one of the best of the…

Migas, a Tex-Mex breakfast dish of scrambled eggs cooked with crunchy corn tortilla pieces, cheese, onions, chili peppers, and tomatoes. Migas, which means “crumbs,” is also a traditional dish in Spain and Portugal, though recipes in those countries typically feature bread and various meats instead

Ashqelon, city on the coastal plain of Palestine, since 1948 in southwestern Israel. The modern city lies 12 miles (19 km) north of Gaza and 1.25 miles (2 km) east-northeast of the ancient city site. Because of its location on the Mediterranean coast, Ashqelon was traditionally the key to the

Ashqelon, city on the coastal plain of Palestine, since 1948 in southwestern Israel. The modern city lies 12 miles (19 km) north of Gaza and 1.25 miles (2 km) east-northeast of the ancient city site. Because of its location on the Mediterranean coast, Ashqelon was traditionally the key to the

Mighty Aphrodite (1995) benefited from a typically stellar cast and an especially strong performance by Mira Sorvino, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her work in the film. As a musical, Everyone Says I Love You (1996) was something quite different…

Jimmy Wilde, Welsh professional boxer, world flyweight (112 pounds) champion from 1916 to 1923. Wilde won 131 fights (99 by knockouts), lost 3 (not counting a three-round exhibition match), drew 2, and had 13 no decisions (a common result early in the 20th century) in a professional boxing career

Anaheim Ducks, American professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Ducks have won one Stanley Cup championship (2007). Founded in 1993, the franchise was originally owned by the Disney Company and was

The Five, group of five Russian composers—César Cui, Aleksandr Borodin, Mily Balakirev, Modest Mussorgsky, and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov—who in the 1860s banded together in an attempt to create a truly national school of Russian music, free of the stifling influence of Italian opera, German lieder,

…performance as Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart (2007). Based on a true story, the film followed efforts to rescue Pearl’s husband, Daniel, who was kidnapped and later murdered by Islamic extremists while reporting in Pakistan for The Wall Street Journal. Jolie followed it with Beowulf (2007) and Wanted (2008).…

Joseph Young, (“Mighty Joe”), American singer and guitarist whose performances of his blend of blues and soul were enhanced by his professionalism, enthusiasm, and desire to please his audience; when his virtuoso playing career was sidelined by a loss of sensation in his fingers following surgery

…one more film, the benign Mighty Joe Young (1949)—a cousin, of sorts, to King Kong about a large (but not enormous) gorilla taken from Africa to the United States that was coproduced by Cooper from his own story, with a screenplay by Rose, a supporting role by Armstrong, and Oscar-winning…

Charles T. Vinci, American weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals. Vinci, who stood just 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 metres) tall, won seven U.S. weightlifting titles in the bantamweight (56-kg [123.5-pound]) division in 1954–56 and 1958–61. He won Pan American Games titles in 1955 and 1959. At the

…porn star turned folksinger in A Mighty Wind (2003) and as an entertainment television host in For Your Consideration (2006). Her performances in Guest’s films led to roles in other movies, notably Judd Apatow’s blockbuster comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Julie &amp; Julia (2009), in which she played the…

Innocent VII, pope from 1404 to 1406. Appointed archbishop of Ravenna (1387) by Pope Urban VI and, in 1389, bishop of Bologna, he was made cardinal by Pope Boniface IX, whom he succeeded on Oct. 17, 1404. Innocent’s election was opposed at Rome, where it caused considerable strife, and at Avignon,

Migmatite, in geology, rock composed of a metamorphic (altered) host material that is streaked or veined with granite rock; the name means “mixed rock.” Such rocks are usually gneissic (banded) and felsic rather than mafic in composition; they may occur on a regional scale in areas of high-grade

Pierre Mignard, painter in the classical French Baroque manner, known primarily for his court portraits. In 1635 Mignard left the studio of Simon Vouet for Italy, where he spent 22 years and made a reputation that brought him a summons to Paris in 1657. Successful with his portrait of Louis XIV and

Pierre Mignard, painter in the classical French Baroque manner, known primarily for his court portraits. In 1635 Mignard left the studio of Simon Vouet for Italy, where he spent 22 years and made a reputation that brought him a summons to Paris in 1657. Successful with his portrait of Louis XIV and

Jacques-Paul Migne, French Roman Catholic priest who became one of the foremost 19th-century publishers of theological literature. Migne studied theology at Orléans, France, where he was ordained priest in 1824. He was then assigned to the French parish of Puiseaux. In 1833 he went to Paris and

François Mignet, historian and archivist whose clarity of exposition influenced French historical studies in the 19th century. Educated at Avignon, Mignet became professor there in 1815; he returned to Aix for his law studies and was called to the bar in 1818. His first work, the Essai sur les

François Mignet, historian and archivist whose clarity of exposition influenced French historical studies in the 19th century. Educated at Avignon, Mignet became professor there in 1815; he returned to Aix for his law studies and was called to the bar in 1818. His first work, the Essai sur les

Abraham Mignon, German Baroque still-life painter. Mignon studied with the still-life painter Jacob Marrel, who took him to Holland about 1660. Mignon then worked with Jan de Heem at Utrecht, where he joined the Guild of St. Luke in 1669. His flower pieces are marked by close observation, careful

Emilio Fermin Mignone, Argentine lawyer and founder of the Centre for Legal and Social Studies, which documented human rights abuses committed by the Argentine military during its 1976–83 dictatorship. At the time of his death he was considered Argentina’s leading advocate for human rights. Mignone

Mignonette, any of about 60 species of herbs and shrubs making up the genus Reseda (family Resedaceae). They are native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia but have been widely introduced elsewhere. Several species have become popular garden flowers. Mignonettes are annual or perennial

Resedaceae, Gyrostemonaceae, Tovariaceae, and Pentadiplandraceae have flowers in which the sepals and petals often do not tightly surround the flower as it develops, and they have embryos that are curved in the seeds. Their interrelationships are poorly understood, with little known about the…

The popular garden mignonette (R. odorata) assumes the form of a low dense mass of soft green foliage studded freely with the racemes of flowers. This species is widely grown for its flowers’ delicate, musky fragrance and for an essential oil that is used in perfumery. Other…

Madeira-vine, or mignonette-vine (Anredera cordifolia or Boussingaultia baselloides), and Malabar nightshade (several species of Basella) are cultivated as ornamentals. Malabar spinach (Basella alba) is a hot-weather substitute for spinach.

Migraine, condition characterized by painful recurring headaches, sometimes with nausea and vomiting. Migraine typically recurs over a period lasting 4 to 72 hours and is often incapacitating. The primary type is migraine without aura (formerly called common migraine). This condition is commonly

About 20 to 30 percent of persons with migraine occasionally experience migraine with aura. Migraine aura is caused by cortical spreading depression, a neuroelectrical process in which abnormal neural activity migrates slowly across the surface of the brain. The pain is caused…

Migrant labour, casual and unskilled workers who move about systematically from one region to another offering their services on a temporary, usually seasonal, basis. Migrant labour in various forms is found in South Africa, the Middle East, western Europe, North America, and India. In Europe and

By 2006 the effects of Globalization on migration were becoming increasingly evident. The linking of labour markets by improved information technology and communications, the widening disparities in employment opportunities and living standards, and loss of jobs in traditional sectors were

Geographic tongue (benign migratory glossitis) refers to the chronic presence of irregularly shaped, bright red areas on the tongue, surrounded by a narrow white zone; normal tongue epithelium may grow back in one area while new areas of glossitis develop elsewhere, making the disease seem…

The driving force for solute migration is the moving fluid, and the resistive force is the solute affinity for the stationary phase; the combination of these forces, as manipulated by the analyst, produces the separation.

Accumulations of petroleum are usually found in relatively coarse-grained, permeable, and porous sedimentary reservoir rocks laid down, for example, from sand dunes or oxbow lakes; however, these rocks contain little, if any, insoluble organic matter. It is unlikely that the vast quantities of oil and…

As the glaciers began to retreat gradually about 18,000 years ago, species of the taiga began to move northward in Europe and North America. In eastern and central North America the northward movement of the forest was relatively steady and gradual. An exception to this progression occurred…

Migration, in ethology, the regular, usually seasonal, movement of all or part of an animal population to and from a given area. Familiar migrants include many birds; hoofed animals, especially in East Africa and in the Arctic tundra; bats; whales and porpoises; seals; and fishes, such as salmon.

Human migration, the permanent change of residence by an individual or group; it excludes such movements as nomadism, migrant labour, commuting, and tourism, all of which are transitory in nature. A brief treatment of human migration follows. For further discussion, see population: Migration.

…Harold Holt’s introduction of the Migration Act 1966, which allowed non-Europeans with professional and academic qualifications to apply for entry. This effectively ended the White Australia policy (which was officially abandoned in 1973) with migrants now being selected according to their skills and ability to contribute to Australian society, not…

A story broke in Germany that set the stage for 12 months of European controversy and debate over migration when 2016 was only a few hours old. Some 60 women in the western German city of Cologne reported to police that they had been subjected to sexual assaults in the city centre. New Year

In December 2015 the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration reported that more than one million refugees and Migrants fleeing persecution, poverty, and war in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia had arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, causing a massive crisis in the host

Migration period, the early medieval period of western European history—specifically, the time (476–800 ce) when there was no Roman (or Holy Roman) emperor in the West or, more generally, the period between about 500 and 1000, which was marked by frequent warfare and a virtual disappearance of

Migration: New and Selected Poems (2005), winner of the National Book Award, groups work from his earlier career with new verse to effectively trace the evolution of his style from structured to free-flowing. Merwin explored personal childhood memories as well as such universal themes as…

…this period were collected in Migrations: Humanity in Transition (2000). Many of his African photographs were gathered in Africa (2007). Genesis (2013) assembled the results of an eight-year global survey of wildlife, landscape, and human cultures uncorrupted by the onslaught of modernity and industrialization.

Migrant labour, casual and unskilled workers who move about systematically from one region to another offering their services on a temporary, usually seasonal, basis. Migrant labour in various forms is found in South Africa, the Middle East, western Europe, North America, and India. In Europe and

In the second, or migratory, phase, fibroblasts and macrophages infiltrate the wound to initiate reconstruction. Capillaries grow in from the periphery, and epithelial cells advance across the clot to form a scab. In the proliferative phase, the fibroblasts produce collagen that increases wound strength, new epithelial cells cover the…

Michael, younger son of King John VI of Portugal, regent of Portugal from February 1828 and self-proclaimed king from July 1828 to 1834, though his royal title was not everywhere recognized. Michael went with the rest of the royal family to Brazil in 1807, escaping from Napoleon’s armies, but

…Glória by intervening in the Miguelite Wars (1828–34) and expelling the reactionary Dom Miguel from Portugal. The cooperation between France and Britain in the affairs of the Iberian Peninsula broke down in 1846, when Isabella and her sister, Luisa, married French princes (see Spanish Marriages, Affair of the).

…lignite are mined north of Mihăiești, and salt mines, located near Apa Sărată, were worked from the Roman occupation until the 12th century. A hydroelectric dam, measuring about 541 feet (165 m) high and 1,007 feet (307 m) long impounds Lake Vidraru. Curtea de Argeș town has a 16th-century church…

Archbishop Mihail, (Metodij Gogov), Macedonian religious leader who, as the scholarly archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia (1993–99), was head of the independent Orthodox Church of Macedonia and a fierce advocate of Macedonian independence from Yugoslavia and from the Serbian Orthodox Church (b. March

Montana, town, northwestern Bulgaria. It lies along the Ogosta River in a fertile agricultural region noted for its grains, fruits, vines, market-garden produce, and livestock breeding. Relatively new housing estates as well as industry are evident in the town. In the region are forests and game

Dragoljub Mihailović, army officer and head of the royalist Yugoslav underground army, known as the Chetniks, during World War II. Having fought in the Balkan Wars (1912–13) and World War I, Mihailović, a colonel at the time of Germany’s invasion of Yugoslavia (April 1941), refused to acquiesce in

Montana, town, northwestern Bulgaria. It lies along the Ogosta River in a fertile agricultural region noted for its grains, fruits, vines, market-garden produce, and livestock breeding. Relatively new housing estates as well as industry are evident in the town. In the region are forests and game

Dragoljub Mihailović, army officer and head of the royalist Yugoslav underground army, known as the Chetniks, during World War II. Having fought in the Balkan Wars (1912–13) and World War I, Mihailović, a colonel at the time of Germany’s invasion of Yugoslavia (April 1941), refused to acquiesce in

Ion Mihalache, Romanian statesman and popular political leader and founder of the Peasant Party. In 1918 Mihalache formed the Peasant Party of the old Regat (Moldavia and Walachia); the party had much success in the elections of November 1919. While he was minister of agriculture in the

Mihály, Count Károlyi, Hungarian statesman who before World War I desired a reorientation of Austro-Hungarian foreign policy toward friendship with states other than Germany. He also advocated concessions to Hungary’s non-Magyar subjects. After the war, as president of the Hungarian Democratic

Mihara, city, Hiroshima ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. It is located on the mouth of the Nuta River, at the Bingo Channel of the Inland Sea. The city grew around Mihara Castle (1582), and in the 17th century large tracts of land in the locality were brought under cultivation. Mihara has

In satire, fable, and epigram, S. Mihaylovski with unrelenting bitterness castigated corruption in public life. His most ambitious satire, Kniga za bulgarskia narod (1897; “Book on the Bulgarian People”), took the form of a moral-philosophical allegory. In a lighter vein, Aleko Konstantinov created in Bay Ganyu (1895; subtitled “Incredible Tales…

…al-Qaeda militants Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. The CIA had been tracking Hazmi and Mihdhar since they attended a terrorist summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on January 5, 2000. The failure to watch-list the two al-Qaeda suspects with the Department of State meant that they entered the United States…

Mihintale, isolated peak (1,019 feet [311 metres]) in Sri Lanka, a centre for Buddhist pilgrimages because of various shrines along the ascent. The peak is approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Anuradhapura. A town and a forest reserve also named Mihintale are

Varahamihira, Indian philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, author of the Pancha-siddhantika (“Five Treatises”), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Indian astronomy. Varahamihira’s knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough. In five sections, his monumental work progresses through

Mihirakula, second and final Huna (Hun) king of India, son of Toramana, the first Huna king there. Inscriptions belonging to Mihirakula’s and his father’s reigns have been found as far south as Eran (near present-day Sagar, Madhya Pradesh state). A patron of Shaivism (worship of the Hindu god

Miḥnah,, any of the Islāmic courts of inquiry established about ad 833 by the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Maʾmūn (reigned 813–833) to impose the Muʿtazilite doctrine of a created Qurʾān (Islāmic sacred scripture) on his subjects. The Muʿtazilites, a Muslim theological sect influenced by the rationalist

…more mature form in the Mihnetkeşan (1823–24) of Keçecizade İzzet Molla, who wrote a humorous autobiographical mesnevî that has been hailed by some as the first work of modern Ottoman literature. Unique in Ottoman literature, the tale has no purpose other than to describe the author’s trials and misfortunes as…

In his Miho Museum (1997) in Shiga, Japan, Pei achieved a harmony between the building, much of it underground, and its mountain environment. The Suzhou Museum (2006) in China combines geometric shapes with traditional Chinese motifs. One of the architect’s later projects was his design for the…

Mithra, , in ancient Indo-Iranian mythology, the god of light, whose cult spread from India in the east to as far west as Spain, Great Britain, and Germany. (See Mithraism.) The first written mention of the Vedic Mitra dates to 1400 bc. His worship spread to Persia and, after the defeat of the

Mihrab, prayer niche in the qiblah wall (that facing Mecca) of a mosque; mihrabs vary in size but are usually ornately decorated. The mihrab originated in the reign of the Umayyad prince al-Walīd I (705–715), during which time the famous mosques at Medina, Jerusalem, and Damascus were built. The

Mihrab, prayer niche in the qiblah wall (that facing Mecca) of a mosque; mihrabs vary in size but are usually ornately decorated. The mihrab originated in the reign of the Umayyad prince al-Walīd I (705–715), during which time the famous mosques at Medina, Jerusalem, and Damascus were built. The

…and on the day of Mihragan (the 16th day of the seventh month), the sacred fire was displayed to the faithful (wehden) at nightfall from some vantage point. Under the Sāsānians the injunction not to pollute the earth by contact with corpses but to expose the dead on mountaintops to…

Nyika,, any of several Northeast Bantu-speaking peoples including the Digo, who live along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania south from Mombasa to Pangani; the Giryama, who live north of Mombasa; and the Duruma, Jibana, Rabai, Ribe, Chonyi, Kaura, and Kambe, who live in the arid bush steppe (Swahili:

…Armenian (Grabar), Middle Armenian (Miǰin hayerên), and Modern Armenian, or Ašxarhabar (Ashkharhabar). Modern Armenian embraces two written varieties—Western Armenian (Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (Arewelahayerên)—and many dialects are spoken. About 50 dialects were known before 1915, when the Armenian population of Turkey was drastically reduced by means of massacre and…

The Mikado, operetta in two acts by W.S. Gilbert (libretto) and Sir Arthur Sullivan (music) that premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London on March 14, 1885. The work was a triumph from the beginning. Its initial production ran for 672 performances, and within a year some 150 other companies were

The Mikado, operetta in two acts by W.S. Gilbert (libretto) and Sir Arthur Sullivan (music) that premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London on March 14, 1885. The work was a triumph from the beginning. Its initial production ran for 672 performances, and within a year some 150 other companies were

Mikael Sehul, nobleman who ruled Ethiopia for a period of 25 years as regent of a series of weak emperors. He brought to an end the ancient Solomonid dynasty of Ethiopia, which had ruled for 27 centuries, and began a long period of political unrest. In the reign of Iyoas (1755–69), son of the last

Kabbada Mika’el became a significant playwright, biographer, and historian. Other writers also dealt with the conflict between the old and the new, with issues of social justice, and with political problems. Central themes in post-World War II Amharic literature are the relationship between humans and…